Because my Life Wasn't Already Crazy Enough
by Blood of a Vigilante
Summary: Artemis hates Wally. She always has, always will. At least, that's what she thinks. But then she starts having dreams about him, and she slowly finds her feelings for him changing-and despite her best efforts, she can't do anything about it. How long can she keep the act up? *Rated T for mild swearing, drug/alcohol use, self harm, and some NOT IN DETAIL sex scenes*
1. Chapter 1: Funny

**Disclaimer: I do not own the names or the world of Young Justice. All rights go to DC comics and Cartoon Network. Blah, blah, blah. Enjoy. **

Chapter 1

Funny

"Okay, Artemis. Truth or dare?" M'gann asks. I roll my eyes.

"Are you guys _really _making me do this?" I ask.

"Yes!" Both M'gann and Zatanna yell at the same time. I groan in defeat. I really just want to get up and leave. Just go home for the night, even if it means facing my mom. But I can't do that. Not to Zatanna. She needs this girl time to get her mind off of her dad.

And maybe I do, too.

"Alright, fine! Truth!" I yell. Zatanna and M'gann exchange glances and then begin whispering with faces of concentration. How hard is it to come up with a simple truth? Can't they just ask me what my favorite color is, or something? M'gann's eyes light up.

"Hello, Megan!" She yells, and then whispers something in Zatanna's ear.

"That…is…_perfect!" _Zatanna cries out in delight, and then turns to me with an evil grin. _Uh oh. _"Alright, Artemis. What is your opinion about Wally?" She asks. My eyes widen.

"Dare." I say quickly, changing my mind.

"We _dare _you to tell us what your opinion is about Wally." Zatanna says. _Damn it. _

"I think I make that pretty clear everyday." I tell them. Like it's not obvious to them! He can't go one second without insulting me!

"Then you should have no problem telling us." M'gann says.

"What's wrong? Hiding something from us?" _If only they knew. _

"Okay, this is ridiculous!" I yell in annoyance, standing abruptly. "I don't have to answer this! Can't we just braid each other's hair or something girly like that?"

"Don't make me use a truth spell on you." Zatanna challenges, her blue eyes full of exhilaration. I know she'll do it in a split second. My eyes narrow at her in an icy glare before I sit back down and answer her.

"Fine! You wanna know my opinion on him? He hates me and I hate him and we're just one flaming ball of hate! There! Happy?" M'gann snorts in laughter and Zatanna rolls her eyes.

"You must be joking." The Martian says with a slight giggle.

"What?" I ask with a little more anger than I should, but I'm not apologizing.

"He does not hate you."

"Okay then, he _despises_ me, he _strongly dislikes _me, he—"

"Is hopelessly in love with you and refuses to admit it." Zatanna cuts me off.

"Bullshit." I mumble, taking a handful of potato chips from the bowl in the middle of our little circle on Zatanna's bed.

"What does that mean?" M'gann asks.

"It's not something that you say around adults." I respond, but avoid her question. Apparently dear old Uncle J'onn hasn't explained the concept of cursing to her yet. I wonder what else she doesn't know. "Anyway, he's not in love with me. He doesn't even _like _me."

"Either you're crazy, or blind, or both. He _does _like you! He calls you beautiful all the time and freaks out whenever somebody comes close to hurting you."

"He calls me beautiful because he knows that it annoys me," I say quickly. "And he's just looking out for his teammate. I'm sure he would do the same for the both of you. And Kaldur. And Robin."

"But he doesn't," M'gann says in observation. "Ever since the exercise, his first instinct has been to protect you. It's really cute, actually."

"That's only because I went into a coma!" I say, running out of excuses. "He thinks I'm weak, which I'm obviously _not, _so really he's just insulting me and—"

"Just look at the footage of the training exercise from a couple of weeks ago. He is _crazy _about you, okay?"

"So, he freaked a little when I died, that doesn't prove anything!" I say defensively. "M'gann was scared as hell, too. That doesn't mean that she's in love with me! And besides…how would you know about the exercise, Zatanna? You weren't even a part of the team back then."

"Batman showed me the footage. And I'm sure he'll be willing to show it to you, too. _Trust me. _You'll see what I'm talking about." Zatanna persists.

"Can we move on, please? M'gann, truth or dare?" I say, quickly trying to change the awkward subject, rubbing my temples because thanks to a certain magician, I have a migraine now!

"Um…dare! Ooh, this is going to be fun!"

* * *

It's funny.

It's funny how all of my walls can be broken down in one little move. Funny how only a minute ago, we were yelling at each other, spitting out insults and profanities, and now, he has me pinned against a wall, kissing me deeply. And the funniest thing about it?

I don't want it to end.

Not now, not ever.

Because his lips just feel so perfect on mine, like they're meant to be there.

I absentmindedly run my fingers through his messy red hair, making it even more unruly. I just can't believe I'm doing this. I mean, Wally West of all people! It's honestly a little bit pathetic. But I don't care about that right now. All I care about is the way his lips move perfectly in sync with mine. We stop for a moment to breathe, and I notice with embarrassment that I had wrapped one of my legs around his waist. "Sorry." I say in a small voice, about to detach myself from him. But he puts a hand on my leg just as I'm about to remove it from around his body.

"Don't be." He responds, and then grabs my other leg, wrapping it around him also. Then he lifts me up, using the wall to help him support me. I tangle my fingers in his hair once again, pulling him closer to me (which is really an accomplishment, because he was already so close to me that we were practically one being). I lean in to kiss him again, and a desperate fire burns in me as I find myself tracing his bottom lip with my tongue, begging him for entrance. He quickly obliges, and we explore each other's mouths until something interrupts us.

_"Recognized; Superboy: B04, Zatana: B08, Miss Martian: B05, Robin: B01."_

"Wally…" I murmur into his mouth, but he doesn't seem to hear me. "Wally, there are other people coming." I try again. He stops kissing me, only long enough to say,

"Let them." And then continues to press his lips to mine. I sigh. He's clearly not going to listen to reason in this situation. I reluctantly pull my lips away from his, removing my legs from around his waist and sliding down the wall. He groans in defeat. "Fine."

Before I know what's happening, I'm in his arms—bridal style—and we're traveling at the speed of light. We finally stop in a dark, unused bedroom. "Where are we?" I ask.

"Does it matter?" He responds, setting me down on the bed. Then he takes off his shirt before kissing me again. _Do I really want this? _I ask myself. I'm not really sure. I've never done anything like this, and honestly, I'm a little scared. But I'm so desperate right now. Maybe it's just the heat of the moment, and I'll wake up in the morning and regret it. But for now, I let my hands explore his bare skin.

"Artemis…" My name sounds like beautiful music coming from his mouth. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks, and even in the dark room I can see his beautiful green eyes perfectly, searching for an answer. I just nod in response, because I don't think I can manage to say anything. He hesitates for a second, and then, he practically rips my tank top off. I bring him closer to me, kissing him with so much fire and passion that I think I might explode in the heat. Then he breaks away from my lips, kissing my jaw line. Damn, does this boy know how to make a girl feel good. He slowly moves down to my neck, and I moan in pleasure. I can feel him smiling against my skin as I move my hands down to his waist and unsuccessfully try to get his belt off. He laughs at my attempt, and I almost smack him in the face. Nobody laughs at me…

"Here, babe. Let me." He says, and easily slides his pants off. Then he reaches for my waist and slides off my shorts and after a moment of hesitation, my lingerie. I don't object. He discards them on the floor with the rest of our clothing.

And then I realize what I'm doing. And even more repulsively, what I'm doing _with Wally West. _But I refuse to come to my senses. Because just before I was about to yell at him and give him the beating of a lifetime, I had looked into his eyes. Those gorgeous green eyes…and now all my anger is gone. I grab him by his hair and pull his face down to mine, smiling before I kiss him. I can't help but feel like this is meant to be.

He starts kissing me everywhere. My nose, the outer corners of my eyes, my ears, my jaw line, my neck, and then he starts to go lower. And the little voice in my mind screams at me, _Do you really want _Wally West _to do this to you? _But for the first time ever, I ignore my instincts. I just lay down and close my eyes as he kisses every part of my body…

* * *

I wake up with a start, hot and sweaty. I take in my surroundings. I'm in Zatanna's room. M'gann is next to me on the floor in her own sleeping bag while I'm in mine with a bunch of potato chips laying on my stomach and on the floor. _Great!_ _I must have fallen asleep eating. Zatanna's going to kill me when she sees the mess I made. _And then I remember what happened and look down at myself, only to find that I'm fully clothed.

So, what happened with Wally…it was just a dream? But how? It felt so real! So real that I didn't even stop to consider if it was a dream. Usually my dreams are really random and don't make any sense. And those are just the ones that I remember. I can't even recall more than half of the dreams I've had. But I remember this one perfectly. It was so real and emotion filled! I can practically still taste him on my mouth. "Artemis? What are you doing up?" A tired voice says. I look up to see Zatanna, clutching her bed-sheets up to her shoulders to cover the skin that was exposed by her tank top, staring at me with confusion. Then I look at the alarm clock and see that it's 3:00a.m. _Great._

"I just had a nightmare. Go back to sleep." The sleepy fourteen-year-old gives me a wary look.

"Are you okay? You look…_whelmed." _I roll my eyes.

"God, you're starting to sound like Robin." I say, and she laughs when she realizes what she had said.

"Sorry…he's kinda growing on me." She says with a blush that's about as red as Wally's hair. I gasp in realization.

"You…you…_you like Robin! Holy shit!" _I whisper-yell, careful not to wake M'gann.

"No, I don't!" She defends herself, though it's extremely unconvincing.

"Come on! Admit it!"

"I'll admit to liking Robin when _you _admit to liking Kid Flash." I cross my arms.

"Not fair! And even if I _did _like him, which I'm not saying I do, I wouldn't make it so obvious as to blush every time his name is mentioned and look away every time I'm caught looking into his eyes…or, sunglasses in your case." At this, M'gann opens her eyes and sits up groggily. _Oops. Guess we were being a little too loud. _

"What's going on?"

"Zatanna likes Robin!" I say. M'gann's eyes widen.

"Artemis!"

"Zatanna!" I mimic her whiney voice.

"Is this true?" M'gann asks in an excited voice. Zatanna hangs her head and sighs, her dark hair falling in front of her face.

"Alright, fine! It's true! I liked him the second I saw him! Are you happy, Artemis?"

"Ecstatic." I say with a smirk. M'gann squeals.

"Oh my God! This is so great! Oh, I can't wait to tell Conner! We can go on double dates and—"

"No! No telling Conner!" Zatanna interrupts. "Let's just keep this a secret between the three of us, okay? Girl talk."

"Oh, right! Hello, Megan! No telling anyone about your best friends' crushes! Sorry!"

"It's alright." Zatanna says. I get up and brush off the potato chips from my sleeping bag.

"Well, I'm going to go get something to clean this mess up. Sorry about that by the way." I say, glancing over at Zatanna.

"Why don't you wait 'till morning to do that?" She asks, laying back down on her bed.

"I would," I say, standing up. "But I'd rather not wake up with potato chip crumbs in my hair."

I walk out of the room and close the door, only to be greeted by that really unnerving familiar laugh. "_Robin_…" I say in annoyance.

"Yes?" He asks, coming out from the shadows of the hallway.

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" I ask. He smiles evilly.

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't."

"Don't say anything to Zatanna, okay? Or I _will _shoot you." He mock salutes and then disappears once again.

"See ya around." I can hear his voice in the shadows.

"Stupid kid. Knows too much." I mutter under my breath.


	2. Chapter 2: Strange

Chapter 2

Strange

"Hey, watch it _Kid Clumsy." _I yell as Wally zips past me, nearly knocking me over with the wind he leaves behind.

"Can't keep up with me? That's your problem." He says, leaning against the wall with a devilish smile. Then he whispers to M'gann in a loud enough voice for everybody to hear, "That's right, babe. I've got lightning-fast reflexes." As soon as he finishes his sentence, a raw egg hits him in the face, splattering the yolk all over him.

"Lightning-fast, huh?" I ask sarcastically, proudly holding the carton of eggs in my hand.

"You will regret this." He says with narrowed eyes.

"Doubt it, Baywatch." I'm just about to throw another egg at him when somebody puts a strong hand on my shoulder.

"I believe he has had enough, Artemis." I sigh in defeat. Leave it to Kaldur to ruin anybody and everybody's fun.

"Why don't you clean yourself up, Wally? I'll make us all omelets." M'gann says, levitating the carton of eggs from my hands.

"Anything for you, Green Cheeks." He says, and then is gone literally before I blink.

"Does he have to flirt with _every _girl he sees?" I ask myself aloud.

"You can't blame him. He's a teenage boy. He probably flirts with linoleum." Robin says.

"And I bet even the inanimate material turns away in disgust." I mutter to myself.

* * *

"Please? I am _begging _you!" My friend, Bette, says for about the millionth time. I grab my Geometry book from my locker and sigh. _Lord, grant me patience! _

"Bette, you know I'd do anything for you, but I am _not _going to a stupid dance. The whole dressing up and looking pretty thing…it doesn't work for me. Besides, I'm probably going to be busy, anyway." She crosses her arms.

"Oh, yeah? With what?" What am I supposed to tell her? I can't exactly say '_Oh, Batman is probably going to send me on a mission to fight some random villain that's planning to destroy the world'. _Not only does that sound corny, but I can't give my identity away.

"Family stuff." I mumble, even though that's the biggest lie in the world. Whenever I do anything with my family…let's just say it's not all fun and games.

"Please? I'll find you a date and everything! You can borrow one of my dresses, and—"

"Thanks," I interrupt, angrily shutting my locker door. "But I think I'll pass."

"This is not over," She says, walking to whatever class she has to go to. "I will wear you down, Artemis Crock!" She yells, right before she turns the corner and disappears down the hallway.

"Not likely." I say under my breath and then head to my own class, only to trip over something, making my Geometry books fall out of my hands. "Shit!" I yell, bending down to pick them up. I hear the warning bell ring and sigh. I am definitely going to be late.

"Sorry," A new voice says. "Let me help you." I look up to see a young boy with black hair and blue eyes, holding my calculator.

"Thanks." I say, getting up. I look at him again, _really _taking in his appearance. He can't be older than fourteen. He has a somewhat-muscular build and I can tell that he's an athlete. And something about him…it's extremely familiar.

And then it hits me.

"Hey, I know you!" I yell out. His eyes widen and he stiffens up a little.

"You…you do?" He says in a scared voice. _Why is he scared? _

"Yeah, you're the little creep of a freshman that took a picture with me on my first day. Way to make me feel welcome." I say with a little laugh. He seems to relax.

"Yup. That's me. Creepy freshman. Or, you know, you could call me by my real name. I'm Dick Grayson." He says, extending a hand.

"Artemis Crock." I say, shaking it.

"Nice to meet you." He says, and there's a sense of amusement in his voice and a look in his blue eyes that says he already knows me. "See ya around." He says with a devilish grin, and then disappears.

"Strange…" I say to the empty hallway.

* * *

"It was really creepy. I just feel like he knows something that I don't. Something that's really important." I say after I finish telling Zatanna and M'gann about my encounter with the strange boy.

"Maybe you guys met before and you just don't remember." M'gann offers.

"That's the thing! I've never seen him before in my life…at least, I don't think so."

"Ooh, a mystery man." Zatanna says, fake swooning.

"Seriously? Let's get this straight. I _don't _like him."

"_Yeah_, we _all _know who you like." M'gann says with a smirk.

"Who does Artemis like?" An oblivious Wally asks as he wonders into the living room. Behind him, Robin comes in, seemingly calm and emotionless as always. I can feel Zatanna get tense next to me.

"Artemis met a mystery boy at school and they're going to fall deeply in love and ride off into the sunset." Zatanna says sarcastically. I can see a little smile start to form on Robin's face.

_"Is that so?" _He asks. He's clearly seeing a joke that nobody else gets.

"_No." _I say, giving a death glare at Zatanna. "He's like two years younger than me. That's just weird."

"My dad's five years older than my mom. It doesn't really matter." Wally says.

"Yeah, well, I don't like this kid. He actually kinda creeps me out." I say.

"He _sounds _creepy," Wally says. "Do you even know his name?"

"Yeah. He said it was Dick Grayson." Wally's eyes go wide and then he slowly turns around, looking at Robin. After a second, they both start laughing hysterically. I can't believe how immature they are!

"Are you two morons really so childish as to laugh at his name?" Robin quickly sobers up, though Wally has to clutch the wall to keep from falling. _The hell? _

"Yeah. _That's _what we were laughing at."

"Wait, whoa, whoa! So, do you like the guy or not?" Wally asks, barely able to keep his composure.

"Absolutely not!" I yell at the same time that Zatanna says,

"_Oh_, yeah she does." This just causes the two first-graders-in-teenage-bodies to laugh even more.

"Okay, well, since we're on the subject of who likes who, I think _Zatanna—"_

"Has to leave!" Zatanna yells, abruptly standing. "Like, right now! And so does Artemis. Come on, we have to go!" She desperately tugs on my arm, trying to make me stand from my spot on the couch.

"Oh, no. No I don't. I was actually just about to Tell R—"

"Oh, yes you do! We both do! I totally forgot! We have…_that thing!" _

"That thing at that place?" I say sarcastically, making fun of her really awful reaction. _And they say _I'm _bad at making excuses. _

"Yes! That thing at that place!"

"At that time?" I continue, having way too much fun with it than I should.

"Let's just go." She says, yanking me up with way more force than a fourteen-year-old girl should.

"We'll continue this conversation later." I say to Robin as she pulls me out of the living room.

"What the hell was that?" She yells at me when we're safely in her room.

"Whatever do you mean?" I ask innocently, batting my eyelashes.

"Don't play this game with me! Just remember, I can cast a spell on you and make you fall deeply in love with Wally before you even know what the hell is going on!" I put my hands up as if to say _I surrender. _

"Alright. But you need to cut the Dick Grayson stuff, okay? I don't even know the guy, so no more 'they'll be riding off into the sunset' comments, because I think the look on your face when Robin finds out is well worth being unknowingly in love with somebody for a couple of days before Wally annoys you into getting me back to normal." Poor Zatanna. She has no idea that Robin already knows. And even if he wasn't eavesdropping on us, she makes it completely and utterly obvious.

* * *

Dinner is a lot quieter than usual. Conner and M'gann are in their own little world—I swear, every time I see them all lovey-dovey, vomit sticks in my throat—Kaldur is just awkwardly sitting there, still not exactly good at being social, and Wally and Robin are playing some violent video game. "So, Zatanna," Robin says from the couch, pausing the game and turning around to look at us through his sunglasses. "How was _that thing_ that you had to go to?" Her eyes widen and she immediately starts to babble.

"Oh, right! That thing, at that place! Yeah, it was…it was good." She says awkwardly, playing with a little piece of her hair to distract herself from the embarrassment. I send the thirteen-year-old boy a death glare. I know he's just toying with her emotions at this point, and it's kind of sickening. Zatanna's a great girl, and she doesn't deserve to go through this. Especially not when she's so blinded by him that she doesn't even realize what he's doing to her.

Slowly, everybody starts to go home for the night (or to their rooms in the Cave, for some of us) and it's just me and Wally left in the living room. I stand up awkwardly. I don't want to be alone with him. And not just for the obvious reasons. Ever since that dream I had a few nights ago (I'm still trying to figure out why my subconscious would come up with something like that) I haven't been able to look at him without remembering how good it felt to be kissing him. Even though it wasn't real, it still burns in my mind and I can't force it out. "Well…bye." I say, and start to walk away.

"Hey, Artemis!" He calls after me when I'm about halfway through the kitchen. I stop and turn around slowly.

"Yes?" He runs his fingers through his mess of red hair and I can't help thinking that he looks absolutely sexy when he does it.

"So, this Dick Grayson kid…you don't like him, do you? Because you said you didn't and Zatanna said you did and it was kind of unclear to me, so—" I cut him off by laughing.

"I don't. You don't have to worry about that." I keep walking and am just about to exit through the kitchen when a thought hits me. I stop in my tracks, putting one hand on the doorframe and looking back over my shoulder.

"Just out of curiosity, Wally…why do you care?" His green eyes go wide.

"I don't! I don't care at all! I just…wanted to know if I should feel bad for the poor sucker. Because, you know…it's _you_."

"Alright, whatever," I roll my eyes at his idiocy. "Goodnight, _Wall-man." _I say mockingly.

"I hope you have nightmares!" He calls after me.


	3. Chapter 3: Saved Your Life

Chapter 3

Saved Your Life

"Team, report to the mission room." A dark voice says suddenly in my ear. I smile. That's gotten to be my favorite phrase of all time. I quickly suit up and get to the mission room as soon as I can. I'm the last one to get there, and get a little annoyed when we just stand there silently for about a minute when we should be going over our mission.

"Well, why are we just standing around?" I practically yell at Batman, who's just watching us without a word. Robin smiles slightly.

"We're waiting on one more." He says. _What? _Just as I try to wrap my mind around it, the electronic voice of the zeta tube echoes through the room.

_"Recognized; Red Arrow: B06" _My eyes narrow. _No. Not him. _

"What the hell is he doing here?" I ask with narrow eyes.

"Well, it's nice to see you, too." Roy responds with just as much venom in his voice as there was in mine.

"Hey, Roy!" Robin shouts, and then him, Aqualad, and Kid Flash all go to greet their old friend.

"Are you idiots done?" I ask after about five minutes of them talking and putting the mission off. They become silent at my words.

"Thank you, Artemis," Batman says, and then proceeds to fill us in. "Just a few minutes ago, there was a bank robbery at Happy Harbor. Your mission, obviously, is to stop whoever it is, and return the money. We already have a tracker on his getaway vehicle, so—"

"Wait," Red Arrow interrupts. "_that's_ the important mission that you called me in for? _A bank robbery? _Can't the police deal with this?"

"Just be happy you _got_ called in. It's been almost a month since our last mission." I spit back at him, annoyed by his bad attitude.

"You don't get it, do you?" He says, stepping closer to me. "This is an insult to all of us! Two intensely trained archers, a boy who can travel at the speed of light, an Atlantian, a Martian with telepathic and telekinetic capabilities, a _freaking Kryptonian, _and—"

"I'm only half Kryptonian." Superboy speaks up.

"That's beside the point! We've battled Sportsmaster and the Injustice League and practically every villain out there—"

"No, _we've _battled Sportsmaster and the Injustice League. _You've _been out who knows where doing who knows what!" I interrupt him.

"And you want us to stop a little bank robbery?" He continues on as if I hadn't said anything. "Is that the best you can do for us?"

"Look, red boy. If you don't want to be here, then _leave." _I practically growl at him.

"Typical Artemis. So quick to get rid of me. But I guess that's normal behavior for a _replacement." _Angry tears start to form in my eyes.

"I'm…I'm only your replacement because _you _abandoned Green Arrow! You're so quick to call me out, but maybe you should take a moment to go over your own faults!" A sarcastic smile is plastered on his face.

"I may have faults, but at least I don't have secrets." My eyes go wide and I gasp. _How does he know? _

"Roy, lay off, okay?" Wally says, defending me. _Wait…why is he defending me? _"She's right, you know. About everything! You _are _lucky to be here and you _did _abandon us." For a minute, the two just stare at each other with narrowed eyes, and there's so much tension between them that I'm sure they'll break into a fistfight at any second.

"Let's just get to the bioship. The more we stand here, arguing, the farther away our target gets. He's probably all the way to California by now." M'gann says. We all go without a word. I take slow steps, trying to calm myself down. _Don't let him do this to you. Show him who the real archer of the Team is._ I tell myself. My fists clench and I smile, determination giving me a new burst of energy. Just as I'm about to board the bioship, somebody puts their strong hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see Wally, an unrecognizable emotion in those green eyes of his.

"Hey," He says in a soft voice. "don't let what Red Arrow said get to you, alright? You're great at what you do. He's just jealous." I nod.

"Thanks, Baywatch."

* * *

"Alright. I've got the map up." Robin says ten minutes later in the bioship. He has up a digital image of the East Coast. On it there are two dots, almost side-by-side.

"We're right on his trail. That was easy." Zatana says.

"Getting him will be a little harder, though." Superboy speaks up.

"I still think this is ridiculous. Do we really need eight people to stop a bank robbery?" Red arrow mumbles.

"It would take the police force at least fifteen." Aqualad responds in a warning tone.

"But we're _not _the police force."

"Red's got a point. I think we'd just slow each other down. I'll stay on the ship until I'm absolutely needed." Zatana says.

"But, you _are _needed." Robin says. She blushes.

"She is also the least experienced of all of us. She could be a liability to herself as well as to us." Aqualad says.

"She's not a liability!" Robin practically spits back. "She's needed! We all are."

"Uh, guys," Wally cuts them off. "We don't have time for this. We're here." We all look out the window of the bioship to see a black van on the dirt road. Other than that, the road is completely empty.

"Miss Martian, Establish a mental link." Aqualad says.

_'Link established.' _Her voice fills everybody's mind.

_'We need to get that car to stop moving,'_ Robin says thoughtfully. _'Artemis and Red Arrow, you could shoot the tires with explosive arrows.'_ The thought of working with _that thing _repulses me.

_'Does it really take two of us?' _Arrow responds. That just makes me all the more unwilling to work with him.

_'Or, Miss Martian could use her telekinetic abilities to stop it.' _I offer.

_'There are too many parts in the machine for me to stop at one time,' _M'gann says after a moment of concentration. _'Maybe Zatana can—'_ Before she finishes her sentence, Superboy jumps off of the ship with an angry grunt, landing just in front of the car and punching the windshield, making the driver stop abruptly, the car making a loud and earsplitting screeching noise.

_'Or, you know, that works.'_ Miss Martian says.

_'Looks like Superboy's got a handle on things. This fight'll be over in about two seconds.' _Red Arrow says. And then Superboy's intentions become clear in everybody's mind.

_'He's not going to stop until he kills the guy!' _I yell at everybody, even though they all know.

_'Superboy, stand down!' _Aqualad shouts at him, but he doesn't seem to hear him. Or if he does, he's not listening.

_'Conner, stop!' _Miss Martian says. _'Think about what you're doing!'_ At this, the half-Kryptonian blinks, and then takes in his surroundings. Seeing what he's done, he begins to run.

"I'm going after him!" M'gann says aloud, and before anybody can stop her, she's gone.

_'You'd think missions would come before boyfriends.' _Red Arrow's annoying voice fills my head.

_ 'We can all hear you! Do you know how bad you're probably making her feel?' _Kid Flash says to him angrily. Of course he's defending M'gann! I don't know why it makes me so mad whenever he flirts with her, but it does.

_'Oops.' _Red Arrow responds sarcastically. I look out the window of the bioship to take in the scene. The car is pretty messed up with a broken windshield and several dents, but it probably still works. And the guy is beaten and bloody, probably needing a hospital. But he still struggles to stand up and walk toward his getaway van.

_'He's still conscious! I'm going in!' _I yell, and before anybody can stop me, I jump down from the bioship. Once I land, I take a net arrow from my quiver and aim it at him. The guy's eyes widen when he sees me and he reaches for something in his back pocket.

_'Artemis, stand down! He's armed!' _Red Arrow's voice fills my head. My teeth clench. I don't take orders from him. He's probably just saying that because _he _wants to be the one to take the criminal down.

_'Yeah, well so am I! I've got a clear shot and I'm taking it!' _

"Artemis, no!" A voice yells just as I'm about to release the arrow. Before I know what's happening, I'm on the ground. The arrow flies from the bow and lands uselessly somewhere far away from the target. I look up angrily to see Wally, hovering over me protectively. And before I can recover, I hear a screech of tires, and the van with all of the stolen money disappears. I growl in frustration, pushing Wally off of me.

"You idiot!" I yell. "I almost had him!"

"He was going to hurt you." He responded.

"No, he wasn't! I was so close to getting him! Now all of the money is gone, and so are Conner and M'gann! You mess _everything _up!" I am _so _close to slapping this boy, it's not even funny.

"Guys," Robin's voice fills my ear through my com. "Let's just find the other two. The mission was a failure." His disappointment isn't very well masked.

"_This. Is. Your. Fault." _I spit out at Wally through clenched teeth.

"Losing him…it was worth saving you." I think I hear him say as I'm walking back to the bioship, but I choose to ignore it.

* * *

"This is ridiculous ! Rage Monster over there almost got the guy killed, Artemis almost got _herself_ killed, the Martian abandoned the mission to check on her all-too-important boyfriend, and all the while everyone else just sat back and didn't even bother to take action!" Roy yells at us back at Mount Justice. The nerve of him! He actually thinks he can storm in here and act like our leader!

"Yourself included, Mr. We-Could-Do-So-Much-Better!" I shout at him. "You did _nothing _but criticize us the entire time! And I did _not _almost get myself killed! Kid Dumbass over here messed up my aim!" I finish, pointing at Wally.

"Hey, I saved your life!" He shouts at me.

"No, you did not! I was perfectly capable of handling myself, but you—"

"He's right," Robin interrupts us. "The guy had a gun on him. Artemis, you would have been dead before the arrow got halfway to him if it weren't for Wally." Wally smirks at me, which makes me all the more angry.

"If I had gone down, at least I would have gone down fighting. And the guy would have been caught, too."

"Catching a bank robber is not worth giving your life up!" Wally shouts.

"Are you kidding me? We work for the freaking _Justice League! _They practically live by the code of protecting people at all costs, even if it means losing your life. And if they live by that code, we should too." And with that, I storm out of the room.

"Artemis!" I hear Zatanna yell after me. I just keep going. "Artemis, wait!"

"What?" I yell with venom.

"You know, you really should be nicer to Wally. He saved your life!"

"Enough! Enough with the _'he saved your life' _shit, alright? I've had enough of it!" I take a deep breath, and then say in a softer tone, "You really think I _want _to look this weak? To have to be saved by _him?_"

"What's so bad about that?"

"_What's so bad about it_? Everyday I'm insulted by that redheaded demon, reminded constantly that I don't fit in! And now I'm expected to be eternally grateful to him! That's not how it works! He thinks that just because of one little accident, I'll forget everything he put me through! Well, he's wrong. Dead wrong." Zatanna laughs, and I'm a little shocked at how cold and venom filled it is. It almost reminds me of Roy.

"How _blind _are you? Did you ever stop to wonder if maybe he did it because he cares too much about you to lose you again?"

"He does not—" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Yes, he does! He obviously does if he turned against his best friend for _years _to defend you and jumped in front of a God damned bullet for you! He cares about you _so _much, but you're too_ stubborn_ to see it!" I can see tears forming in her eyes. "Do you know what I'd give…to have somebody care about me like that? To look at me the way he looks at you?" And then she walks out, leaving only her strained words echoing in my head.


	4. Chapter 4: Hypothetically

**_Kinda important author's note:_**

**_Okay. First, I want to say that this story has gotten some INSANE response and I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to everybody who're reviewed this story and put this on your reading list. Okay, so on to the important matter: I was thinking of MAYBE making Roy one of her love interests. They're obviously NOT going to end up together, this is a spitfire story after all. But a little conflict and drama won't hurt, right? I don't know. What do YOU PEOPLE think I should do? _**

* * *

Chapter 4

Hypothetically

"Hey, Dick. You're a guy." I state casually as I sit down across from him at the otherwise empty lunch table.

"Gee, thanks." He mumbles, taking a bite out of his pizza.

"Well, I need some advice. Coming from a guy." The corners of his mouth twitch up ever so slightly to form a smile. _He actually thinks this is a joke! _Then again, he thinks everything I say is a joke. It's really creepy. He definitely knows something.

"Alright," He says, leaning back in his chair. "What's up?"

"Well, let's just say that _hypothetically _there's this guy and _hypothetically _I don't know what to do about him because _hypothetically_ everybody's telling me that he cares about me but I just don't think so—hypothetically_."_ I finish,and then blush, realizing that I used the word 'hypothetically' way too much.

"I think that _hypothetically, _you may want to ask one of your girl friends."

"No, I came to you for a reason. You're a guy and you know how guys behave. So, I was wondering, based on his hypothetical actions, do you think I'm right in thinking that he hates me, or am I just hypothetically blind?"

"Well, what did he do for you? Hypothetically, of course." He says with a little smile. I can tell that this is going to become an inside jokes.

"Let's just say that it's one of those 'he jumped in front of a bullet to save me' types of things." I say, and he doesn't press for details, which I'm extremely thankful for because there's no way in Hell that I'm going to be able to make up a story on the spot.

"Does he flirt with you?" I roll my eyes.

"_Oh, _yeah. But he flirts with just about every other girl he sees, too. Especially M'g—my friend, Megan," I say quickly, catching myself. "You wouldn't know her. She doesn't live in Gotham." He nods, but chuckles slightly.

"So, hypothetically, he flirts with every hypothetical girl he sees?" He questions.

"Yeah. And, hypothetically, it's actually _really _annoying."

"You can't blame him. He's a teenage boy. He probably flirts with linoleum." My eyes widen and then narrow at him. I've heard those _exact _words before. In that _exact _tone. "Anyway, I think that you should give this guy a shot_—hypothetically." _My eyes widen.

"Oh, God. This isn't going how I planned!" I say, putting my head in my hands. Maybe Zatanna's right. Maybe I _am _blind. I came to Dick looking for a specific answer. And he gave me the complete opposite! Maybe I should ask somebody who actually _knows _Wally. Maybe I should ask Robin…but that would just give my position away! Gah!

"I'm confused…"

"I came to you because I wanted to get from a guy's point of view that he's not interested, because everybody that has told me that he is just so happens to be a female. But now _you're _telling me you think he likes me and that's a _really _bad sign because you don't even know the guy and—" My head collapses on the table. I just rambled about as much as M'gann does on a regular basis. I never ramble. What is this boy doing to me? "You've gotta help me, Dick." I say, my voice muffled by the table.

"Huh?"

"I need to make him remember that he hates me," I say, picking my head up. "Quick, off the top of your head! What are some things that guys hate in girls?" He thinks for a moment, and then a large smile forms on his face.

"Alright. We hate the color purple. Especially lavender. It reminds us too much of flowers. Don't wear makeup. We think it makes girls look like sluts. And do not under _any _circumstances leave your hair down. It says that you're too emotionally available." I smile. A plan is starting to form in my mind.

"Thank you! I love you, Dick Grayson!" I yell, probably a little too loudly, and get up to hug him. Then I run out of the cafeteria as fast as I can.

That was…awkward. I just revealed a side of me that _I _didn't even know existed. A side that rambles and squeals and talks _way _too loudly and gives hugs. _Huh. Maybe I _can _be a girl._

* * *

"Ow! Son of a bitch!" I yell as the stick of mascara pokes me in the eye.

"Artemis? What are you doing in my—holy mother of magic, what the hell did you do to your face?" Zatanna yells when she sees what I'm doing.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to ask. Zatanna, can I borrow your makeup?" I say halfheartedly, sighing and banging my head against the vanity.

"Do you even know how to use any of this?" She asks, looking at the mess I've made of her nice collection of cosmetics.

"Obviously not. I look like a clown." I don't bother to look in the mirror. I know that if anybody saw me, I'd become a laughing stock. I turn my head to look at Zatanna. She's staring at me with so much unmasked pity that it almost makes _me _feel sorry for myself. _Do I really look that weak? That desperate? _"Go ahead. Laugh. I know you want to." She just shakes her head, and a smile comes across her face.

"Artemis, wash your face. We've got work to do." The determined look in her eyes is almost scary.

"Um…I'm not sure about this."

"Just trust me." I don't protest. I just let her work on my skin.

"How long is this going to take?" I ask.

"Longer every time you ask." She responds in the same tone an annoyed mother would respond to their five-year-old child playing the _'Are we there yet?' _game. Suddenly, there's a knock on the door.

"Hey, Zatanna. I was wondering if—ooh, are you giving her a makeover? I want to do her hair!" M'gann's voice grows excited when she sees what Zatanna is doing to me.

"Seriously? I'm not a Barbie doll, you know!" I yell as M'gann grabs the curling iron from the bathroom.

"You're right. You're too annoying to be a Barbie doll. Now stop talking!" I narrow my eyes at her, but I don't complain. At least these two actually know what they're doing. After Zatanna finishes with my makeup, she starts helping M'gann with my hair, trying to speed up the process. It takes about two hours to finish. That's why I always keep my hair in a ponytail. It's such a pain to manage. And I _would _get a haircut, but my mom loves the length, and I want to keep her happy in any way I can.

"Finally!" M'gann yells when she's finished with the last strand of my hair.

"So, what's the occasion?" Zatanna asks. My eyes widen.

"What?"

"The cute outfit, the makeup, the hair. It has to be for something." I snort in laughter, trying to cover up how nervous I am.

"What? A girl can't look nice for no apparent reason?" The magician raises her eyebrows and crosses her arms. "Alright, fine! I _might _have a little bit of a motive," M'gann opens her mouth to start talking, but I cut her off by quickly adding, "But that doesn't mean I have to tell you guys!" This earns me a snicker from Zatanna.

"Oh, Artemis." She says in a disapproving tone, shaking her head.

"What?" I shoot back with venom in my voice.

"You're obviously trying to impress somebody!"

"And we all know who that _somebody_ is." M'gann speaks up. She's obviously talking about Wally. As embarrassing as this situation is, it's actually a little bit ironic. If only they knew that all of this was to turn him away from me.

"I am _not _trying to impress anybody."

"Really? Your reflection says different." I look in the mirror for the first time and gasp. _What the hell did they do to me? _My eyes look bigger and rounder and my eyelashes look longer. Their usual gray color looks bluer from the light shade of eye shadow that Zatanna used on me. My cheeks look slightly rosier from the blush and my lips are coated with a pale pink gloss. And my hair…the usual ponytail is replaced by long, soft, loose curls that flow down to my waist. All of this combined with my lavender tank top and jean shorts…I almost look like a different person.

"Wow." I breathe. This is perfect! Now I look girly and as Dick put it 'too emotionally available'. Wally will definitely cringe in disgust!

"So, are you going to tell us who you're trying to seduce, or are you going to make M'gann read your mind?"

"Uh…" I stutter, but am interrupted by M'gann's gasp.

"Dinner! I put the chicken in the oven over two hours ago!" She panics, and then rushes out.

"Guess it's pizza night." I say, glad that our previous topic has been dropped as I stare at the door that she had left gaping open in her rush toward the kitchen.

I have never been more thankful for her lack of cooking skills in my life.

* * *

"So, that's two cheese, five pepperoni, and seven orders of buffalo wings, half bleu cheese and half ranch?" The guy asks over the phone. I sigh. This is going to cost a fortune.

"Yes." I confirm.

"Having a party?" He only half-jokes.

"Something like that." I respond. The majority of the Team will only be eating from the two cheese pizzas and two of the seven orders of wings. The rest is for Wally.

"Aright. Should be there in half an hour."

"Cool." I say, and then hang up.

"This is going to cost us _way _more than it should," I say, sitting on the couch. "I blame you, M'gann. You couldn't have just _not _told him we were all having dinner together?" Team dinners are extremely rare occasions. We usually only have them when missions run late and it's past normal dinnertime. But I guess this is just one of those days when we all decide to be social.

"It would be mean if we left him out." M'gann says.

"So?"

"Not everybody's coldhearted like you." Zatanna jumps in. I stand abruptly.

"Well, I'm not just going to sit here and let you two bash on me all night. I need to go back to my apartment to pick the pizza up."

* * *

"_Recognized; Artemis: B07." _The electronic voice of the zeta tube goes off as I come back to the Cave with the boxes of pizza and wings stacked in my arms. I walk slowly and carefully, trying to keep all of it from spilling from my hands.

"Hey, guys! Pizza's here!" I say when I reach the kitchen. Conner, M'gann, Robin, Kaldur, and Zatanna are all waiting in the kitchen.

"Thank you, Artemis," Kaldur says. "It was very generous of you to go out of your way to—"

"Yeah, yeah. You don't have to go all Atlantian formal on me. Just dig in!" I cut him off. Okay, so it _may _have been a little rude, but I honestly don't feel like listening to his long and boring speech of thanks. I look over at the Team, gathered around the dinner table. We all look so normal (you know, except for the fact that M'gann has green skin and Kaldur has gills). And then I realize that Robin's silently laughing at me.

"What?" I yell at him. The kid is creeping me out! Well, if I'm being honest, he's always crept me out. But lately, he's been extra creepy and it's actually _extremely _irritating.

"Nothing. Just getting ready for the extremely awkward situation that's going to happen in about two seconds." As if on cue, Wally walks into the room.

"Hey, is the pizza here yet, because—whoa." He starts, and then abruptly stops. His green eyes widen and I notice that he's openly staring at me.

"What are you looking at, Baywatch?" I ask, half amused and half annoyed, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrows. He shakes his head as if to clear his mind and starts walking slowly toward me.

"Artemis, you look…like a girl."

"Gee, thanks!" I yell, narrowing my eyes at him.

"No! I wasn't trying to insult you! I actually think that you look…"

"Ridiculous?" I try, hoping that what Dick told me earlier was true and that he'll hate everything about my new look.

"I was thinking amazing, but I'll say whatever you want me to say, Gorgeous." He says with an arrogant—and, I'll admit, extremely sexy— smile. _No! This isn't supposed to happen! He's supposed to be cringing in disgust! _

"Wait, so you don't think this," I gesture to my made-up self. "makes me look too emotionally available?" _Please say yes, _please _say yes!_

"Nope." Well, this…is _not _going how I planed.

"Well, that's good to know, because it just so happens that I…have a date." At this, Robin bursts out laughing. I snap my head toward him. "Oh, don't act so surprised!" But apparently, he's not the only one. Conner is rubbing his head as if his brain hurts, Kaldur has his head tilted slightly to the left the way he always does when he's thinking about something in depth, and the two other girls are whispering to each other with excited eyes. But the most shocked out of all of them is Wally. His mouth is hanging open and there's something in his eyes…disappointment? Betrayal?

"You…have a date?" He asks in a soft voice.

"Yeah." I say, letting myself put on a triumphant smirk. His face suddenly hardens and the disappointment turns to burning anger.

"I'm not hungry." He says abruptly. I think this shocks everybody even more than my 'date' did. Wally is _always _hungry. Always! But I don't let my shock show. Instead, I get angry.

"Oh, no! I did _not _pay that much for your stupid food just so you could completely discard it!" I say.

"Let Wolf have it!" Wally yells with so much hatred in his voice that I almost want to cry. And before I can say anything else, he's gone.

There's an awkward silence in the little kitchen/living room. Nobody's really sure what to say after his little outburst. "So…" Conner says cautiously. "Does this mean that I can give Wolf the pizza?" I roll my eyes at him. Sure, the comment was good-natured, but it was also _really _idiotic.

"Are you crazy? This stuff will probably make him sick! I'll just put it in the fridge. Wally will eat it when he gets hungry…which will probably be in about five minutes." I'm still trying to figure out what his outburst was all about. Yeah, I've got a fake date. So what? He shouldn't have reacted like that! He doesn't even _like _me! And I don't like him…so why do I feel so guilty about lying to him?

"I should go." I say, quickly leaving the really awkward scene.

* * *

"_What?" _

"_Nothing. Just getting ready for the extremely awkward situation that's going to happen in about two seconds." _My eyes narrow as I remember the little exchange I had with Robin earlier. The way he was leaning back casually in his chair, that creepy little _I-know-something-that-you-don't _smile…how did he know? How did he know that things were going to go wrong like that? Something's up with him. He's been acting weirder than usual lately. And apparently _I'm _the only one noticing it!

I shake my head, clearing my mind. _Don't think about that right now. _Instead, I choose to think about what's in front of me. I smile. It's a cool night in Star City and I'm sitting on a rooftop, on patrol with Green Arrow. This is what I do every Wednesday night, and I wouldn't change it for the world. The feeling of exhilaration and excitement when I'm chasing somebody down is just indescribable. I hear a little laugh next to me and turn my head to see Ollie suppressing a grin. "What?" I ask.

"Nothing." He responds. About two seconds later, he starts laughing very loudly and uncontrollably.

"What?" I say again, also laughing a little. He immediately sobers up.

"Nothing. It's just…you look like a girl."

"Second time I've heard that tonight." I mutter. But I can't argue. I didn't wash my face before I came here, so I still have all of my makeup on and even with my hair tied, the curls still look annoyingly perfect.

"So, why?" I snap my head toward him.

"What?" He lets out a little chuckle.

"Oh, come on! As your uncle, I think I should know why you're all of the sudden trying to be girly."

"And as your niece, I think I should keep that from you." Of course, Ollie's not really my uncle. We're not even related. That's just a cover so the Team won't get suspicious about my real background. But he treats me like family. He's the closest thing to a father I have.

"Just tell me!" He says.

"No."

"Come on…" He persists with a giant, childish smile, poking me in the shoulder like a five-year-old.

"Stop." I say, trying _very _hard to keep my patience.

"Nope. Not until you tell me." He responds, still poking me. Remember when I said That Ollie is like a father to me? Correction: He's like an annoying little brother.

"Fine!" I yell, and he _finally _stops poking my shoulder. "There is—_hypothetically—_a boy involved, _but, _I am not telling you who, and I'm not telling you my motives because _trust me, _it's not what you think."

"Okay, well, I would say something incredibly witty to match that, but there's movement about a hundred yards away to our far left and I don't think that it's just somebody out for a late night walk." He says, standing up and readying his bow for combat.

"Alright," I respond, following his lead. "Let's check it out."

"Try not to let all of that makeup slow you down." He says before jumping to the next rooftop.

* * *

**_Well, what did you think? Go on. Click the review button. I dare you. _**


	5. Chapter 5: Engagement

Chapter 5

Engagement

"You. Are. Cursed." I tell Dick as I sit down at our lunch table the next day.

"I don't understand. To what are you referring to?" He asks with a sly smile.

"That _advise _you gave me!" I yell, as if he needs an explanation. "It went completely wrong! Everything that you told me was _unattractive _to men ended up being a little _too _attractive. I had to lie and say that I had a date so I wouldn't look like a complete idiot!"

"Well, that…that sucks."

"No kidding."

"Artemis! Glad I found you!" A new voice says. I know who it is without even turning around.

"Bette, if this is about the dance, then keep walking." She sits beside me, letting out a little laugh.

"What? A girl can't have lunch with one of her friends…and a stowaway freshman?"

"I don't think _I'm _the stowaway in this situation." Dick spits back, eyes narrowed.

"Really? Some of us would beg to differ."

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but—"

"Enough! Both of you! God, you guys are giving me a headache!" I say, rubbing my temples for emphasis. I can't help but wonder if this is how Aqualad feels whenever he has to get between me and Wally whenever we have our arguments.

"Artemis, we should talk later. _Alone." _She says, and walks off. I honestly don't know what comes over Bette when she sees Dick. She's usually an extremely nice, down to earth person. But whenever she's near him, this awful little devil is unleashed. It almost reminds me of myself. What can I say? I taught the girl well.

"She is so…God! What is her problem? Now I know how you feel whenever you have to deal with R—" His eyes widen and he abruptly stops. I'm about to ask him what's wrong, but then the bell rings. "Oh, look! There's the bell. Gotta go!" And before I can even react, he's gone.

* * *

"Die, bitch!" I yell without meaning to as I deliver the 'death blow' to the practice dummy's head. I lean against the wall, exhausted. I don't know what time it is, or for how many hours I've been training. I close my eyes, trying to relax, when suddenly I hear clapping from the other end of the room.

"Not bad, _replacement. _And, I have to say, the 'die, bitch'was a nice touch." I immediately scowl at the figure that's crossing the room toward me.

"What are you doing here, Roy?" I ask with as much venom as I can muster in my exhausted state.

"Ollie sent me. He wants to talk to both of us."

"Funny how he still chooses to speak to you even _after _you abandoned him." He glares at me, and I can tell that he's about to say something unintelligible. But then he stops himself and sighs.

"Can you just hurry up? Whatever your uncle wants us for, it's really important."

"Alright, whatever."

I freshen up as quickly as I can and put on jeans and a tee shirt. I'm about to go to the zeta tubes when an all-too-familiar voice stops me. "So, how was your date?" Wally asks. I freeze.

"It was…good." I stutter.

"_Really?_" He asks with an amused expression as he walks closer to me. "Tell me, what did you say the guy's name was?" _Shit. _

"His…his name?"

"Yeah, you know, that thing that your parents give to you when you're born?" I roll my eyes.

"I _know_ what a name is, Wally!"

"So, what was his?"

"It…was…his name was…" My mind comes up with a blank. I'm desperate to think of a name, but for some reason, all I can think about is my craving for potato chips. "His name was Chip!" Once I say it, I immediately want to slap myself and take it back. But it's all I could think of. What was I supposed to say? That he doesn't _have _a name?

"What kind of name is _Chip?_" He asks, laughing a little.

"What kind of name is _Wally?"_ I shoot back at him. He rolls his eyes.

"Whatever. _So, _when are we going to meet _Chip?" _My eyes widen. _Why is he doing this to me? _

"You're not!" I yell quickly, and he laughs at my reaction. "Things…didn't work out. He was extremely boring and only talked about himself. Yeah. Not really my type." I hadn't noticed how close he was getting to me. But now, we're only inches apart, and I can feel his cool breath down my neck. _Get it together, Artemis. Remember who he is. _

"And what _is _your type?" He asks in a low voice.

"_Not you. _Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important matters to discuss with Green Arrow." I spit back coldly. I don't bother to see his reaction. Instead, I walk—or rather stomp—to the zeta tubes, where Roy is leaning against the wall with one of his extremely rare smiles.

"Chip, huh?"

"It's all I could think of!" I yell back.

"Why did you have to come up with a fake date in the first place? Are you really _that _repulsive and desperate that you had to make somebody up?"

"You can't exactly talk, _Speedy._ I don't see _you _with a girl hanging on your arm." He raises his eyebrows.

"I could get a girl if I wanted to."

"_Doubt that_." I say in a singsongy voice, and then walk toward the zeta tube.

"_Recognized; Artemis: B07 and Red Arrow: B06."_

* * *

You know something's wrong when Oliver Queen is nervous. If there's one thing that I will always remember about my 'uncle', it's that he _never _gets nervous. He's too childish and pride-filled. So when I see him pacing around his giant living room with shaky hands mumbling to himself, _I _start to get nervous. Whatever he has to tell us, it's big. "Um…Uncle Ollie?" I say to get his attention. He stops his pacing and looks at us for the first time.

"Oh, good! You two made it! It's about time."

"Uh, we've been here…for ten minutes." Roy speaks up.

"Well…that's nice." _Okay, something's up. _

"Hey, you wanna tell us why you're acting so weird?" Something registers in his blue eyes.

"Oh, right! That thing that I wanted to tell you!" He yells out, probably just remembering the reason that he called us here. Roy and I exchange nervous glances. "Well…" Ollie says, and then clears his throat. "I don't know exactly how to say this…Um, I've been dating Dinah for a long time now, and I just, well…I'm going to propose!" He blurts out the last part so fast, I'm not sure if I heard him correctly.

"What?" I yell in shock. I just can't believe that my childish father figure is going to propose to my combat trainer. It's honestly a little weird. But they're so perfect together! Her serious attitude perfectly balances out his immaturity, and vise-versa. "Uncle Ollie, that's so great!" I yell, throwing my arms around him, completely forgetting about all of the emotional walls that I've worked so hard to build up.

"Um, this is very exciting news and all, but why exactly did you call _me _here?" Roy asks. _God, can't he just be happy for him? _

"You are here because like it or not, you're still a son to me, and I will treat you that way no matter how you treat me," He says with a hardened expression, but then softens up a little bit. "And, if she agrees to marry me, I want you to be my best man." I can't help the laugh that escapes my lips.

"Are you serious? _Him? Your best man? _Get ready for the worst bachelor party in the _history _of horrible bachelor parties!"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" He asks, not even bothering to hide his hatred toward me.

"It means that no offense, but you're not exactly the type of guy who goes out with friends and parties all night."

"Oh, because you have me _exactly _figured out!"

"I do! You're extremely predictable!" I cry out.

"And _you're _not? All you do is walk around all day with your nose up in the air, acting all high and mighty but what you don't realize is that _nobody likes you!" _

"Oh, please! Get off your high horse, Roy! You're so arrogant and hotheaded. You can't go _one _second without yelling at or criticizing me, you accuse me of being the mole when I have done _nothing _suspicious, and expect everybody to love you even though you _abandoned them!"_ I yell almost at the top of my lungs, flinging my hands around in all kinds of hand motions.

"Really? You've done _nothing _suspicious?" He asks with a surprisingly level tone and a sarcastic smile. "Come on, Artemis. You and I both know that you're not really Green Arrow's nie—"

"Hey!" Ollie yells out, interrupting Roy and breaking up our soon-to-be-fistfight. "Hate to break up this little love fest, but Dinah's going to be here any second and I can't exactly pop the question with you two—" He's cut off by the doorbell ringing. His eyes widen. "Go out through the back door. Now!" He orders, and we run as quickly as we can.

* * *

The events of last night after we left Green Arrow's place swarm in my mind. Once we were a safe distance from the house—mansion would be a better term—we slowed our run into a leisurely walk and then went our separate ways. If the fight that I had with Roy hadn't shaken me so much, I would have been extremely happy for my almost-father. But instead I was wondering if my act was really that easy to see through. _Am I really making it that obvious that I'm not Ollie's niece? Does the whole Team know? At this rate, they'll find out who my real family is in a matter of days! _Once I checked to see if the coast was clear,I walked toward the old phone booth that was Star City's zeta tube so I could go back to Gotham. But then somebody stopped me by putting a strong hand on my shoulder. I turned around and was surprised to see Roy glaring at me, a storm raging within those dark blue eyes. I was about to say something, explain why I was using the zeta tubes when my home was there in Star City, but he didn't give me the chance. "I know you're hiding something," He said in a frightening voice. "You wouldn't lie about your identity without a good reason. So I'm going to find out, and I'm going to expose what you _really _are to the Team _and_ the League." He didn't give me a chance to respond. He just left me there, my mouth hanging open.

"Well, look who it is," A voice brings me back to the present. "'Bout time you got stuck here. What are you in for?" I look up from my seat on the bench in front of the principal's office to see Dick looking at me with an amused expression.

"Got caught with my phone." I'd been checking it all day to see if Green Arrow would send me any news. I left his house too early to hear anything and couldn't reach him this morning. But, I was stupid enough not to put my phone on vibrate. So when he finally texted me, my phone went off at maximum volume. _Great going, Artemis. _

"Really? Who were you talking to? Your boyfriend?" He asks sarcastically, sitting down next to me. I lightly punch his arm.

"No, idiot! My uncle," I can't help the smile that forms on my lips. "He's getting married."


	6. Chapter 6: Beach Day Gone Wrong

**_Let me just start of by saying that I am NOT dead! I was at camp for a while and couldn't update. Anyway, for those of you who have stuck with me, thank you SO much. And for any new readers, I hope you stick with me! PLEASE review! Critiques are welcome. (Oh, and a special thanks to YJ-Lover for giving me a GREAT idea for the end) _**

**_Disclaimer: I am not a multi-millionaire like Bruce Wayne, so no, I do NOT own Young Justice. If I did, Artemis and Wally would have gotten together much sooner with frequent make out sessions, M'gann would be dead, Superboy would be Russian (yj abridged reference) Klarion the Witch Boy would be gay (he probably already is) Wonder Girl and Blue Beatle would be together (IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN!) and Red Arrow would have A LOT of shirtless moments. _**

* * *

Chapter 6

Beach Day Gone Wrong

I smile to myself as the heat of the sun hits my skin. Closing my eyes, I just relax and listen to the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the shore. I'm so glad that it's _finally _summer! No school, less missions, mostly relaxation. I open my eyes and peer at the little bag that I had brought down to the beach near Mount Justice, and reach into it to apply another coat of sunscreen. Next to me, there's laughter. "I think you've used enough of that to last you a lifetime, babe." I turn around and laying next to me on the other side of the large beach towel is Wally, his skin starting to turn slightly pink. I smile, thrusting the bottle of sunscreen into his hands.

"Then maybe _you _should use some. You're going to get a sunburn." He chuckles a little.

"No, I'm not." I get closer to him, absentmindedly tracing little designs on his bare chest.

"Yeah, you are. You're already turning pink." He looks at his skin for the first time and sighs.

"Awe, man." I allow myself to laugh a little.

"It's not _that _bad. You kinda look like a giant strawberry." I wrap my arms around his neck and after a silence filled minute, he sits up, taking me with him. I'm not exactly sure how this—us—happened. I just know that we're together now, and I couldn't be happier.

"Alright, fine," He says, grabbing the bottle of sunscreen. "I'll use it. Under one condition." I raise my eyebrows as my way of telling him to keep talking, and a wicked smile crosses his face. "You have to put it on me." I roll my eyes, untangling myself from him and walking away from our spot on the beach. He quickly catches up to me.

"Oh, come on," He says with a devious grin, wrapping his arms around my waist and putting his forehead against mine. "Don't act like you don't want to."

"I never said that," I respond, resting the back of my palm on his cheek. "Maybe I just want to make you beg for it." He shakes his head and laughs, his emerald eyes lighting up in a way that just makes me want to smile for no apparent reason.

"You're going to kill me one day. You know that, right?" He whispers. And then he slowly closes the distance between us. I smile and lean in too, and just when our lips are about to meet, I push him away from me and start running toward the water. Okay, so that was a little…cruel. But I can't help it! I just love messing with him. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Once I'm in at about elbow's length, I feel strong arms wrap around my waist from behind me. "It's cute how you think you can run away from me." He whispers into my neck. _Damn his super speed. _I try to say something back to him. Anything. But my breath hitches in my throat and I can't think.

Yeah. He has that effect on me.

"So," He says in that annoyingly arrogant yet completely sexy voice that he uses whenever he's about to say something that he _knows _is going to have an effect on me. "What were you saying earlier about me making you beg?" I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, and _I'm _the one who's going to end up killing _you."_ He laughs that perfect laugh of his and then spins me around so I'm facing him. Without another word, he leans in to kiss me, and all of the sudden I feel like the happiest girl in the world.

And I probably am.

I quickly melt into the kiss, enjoying the taste of his lips. Six months ago, if you had told me that I would end up dating Wally West, I would have laughed in your face. And if you had happened to be my Uncle Oliver, I would break a wooden chair over your head for good measure. Now…I would still laugh. But it would be a laugh of delight instead of a laugh of disbelief.

He grabs the back of my thighs and picks me up, wrapping my legs around his waist to support me. He playfully bites my bottom lip, teasing me, successfully making me moan. He does it so effortlessly and skillfully that I have to wonder about just how many girls he's _practiced _with. And this is a moment where I should play the jealous girlfriend card. But I'm so in love with him, and somehow _he's _so in love with _me_…that I don't even bother questioning his loyalty to me. At least, not right now.

"Artemis…" He murmurs between kisses. I pull away from him and look into his eyes.

"Yeah, babe?"

"I love you."

* * *

I open my eyes and look around only to see that I'm in my room—alone—and not at the beach. And it's also December. _Another dream. _That's the third one this week! And the ninth one this month…

The sudden ringing of my phone makes me groan in frustration. It's Saturday! Who calls this early in the morning on a weekend? "What?" I yell into the phone with as much venom as I can muster in my tired state.

"How's it going, _Maid of Honor?" _A sly voice says on the other end. My eyes widen.

"Robin? How'd you know about the wedding? And how the hell did you get my number?" Nobody knows about the wedding yet. Not even Batman. The only other person that knows besides me and Roy is Dick Grayson. They were going to make the announcement today.

"To answer your second question, Zatanna told me. Anyway, Team's having a beach day. Just calling to see if you wanted to join us." I snort in laughter.

"Robin, it's _winter! _What the hell are we going to do at the beach? Ice skate on the ocean?"

"We're just going to hang out on the sand for a while, maybe have a volleyball tournament. Nobody said we were going to go in the water." _I have had enough of the beach for a lifetime. _

"I can't. I have to—"

"No, don't tell me! Let me guess. You have another date." A new voice says on the other line and it takes all of my strength not to throw my phone at the wall.

"Wally, give the phone back to the bird boy or I swear I'll—"

"You'll what? How are you supposed to do anything to me when you're nowhere near me?" I hate how he has a point. "Look, just come hang out with us on the beach. And if not for me, do it for Zatanna and Megan. I mean, when was the last time we hung out as a Team?" There's no trace of arrogance or hatred in his voice. He's actually being sweet to me. It's kind of adorable. I can picture his face while he talks to me. Looking at me lovingly with those green eyes that I adore so much, snaking his hands around my neck and pulling me close to him while he plays with my hair… "Artemis? You still there?" _Holy shit! No! No, I did _not _just think all of those _vomit inducing_ thoughts! _

"Yeah, I'm here. And I guess I'll go." I can practically feel him smiling on the other line.

"See you there, Beautiful."

* * *

"Unbe_liev_able! You wake me up at eight in the morning and _drag _me to Rhode Island for a beach day in the middle of winter—who's _bright _idea was that, by the way?—and you didn't even bother to _check the weather channel?" _

"Hey, it was sunny this morning, that's all I needed!" Robin says defensively.

"Obviously not. Look outside! It's practically a _hurricane!" _I yell at the top of my lungs.

"We can still enjoy ourselves," Kaldur says in a calming tone, and I immediately relax. "I suggest we watch a movie." M'gann perks up.

"You know, Artemis was telling me about this really great movie about a ninja girl whose ninja dad ordered her to kill her ninja boyfriend because he was from a rival ninja clan. I think we should watch that one. Artemis, do you remember what it was called?" Wally's irritating voice speaks up.

"Sorry. Forgot." I say through clenched teeth.

"Guys, we should _so _watch _The Notebook!" _M'gann squeals, and Zatanna nods her head in approval.

"No." I respond automatically.

"What's wrong? Afraid you'll cry?" Wally asks in a teasing manner while laughing. I snap my head around to face him and narrow my eyes at him.

"No! For your information, my friends have forced me to watch _The Notebook _at least twenty times and I have not cried _once," _I take a deep breath and calm down a little, turning around so now I'm addressing the entire Team instead of just Kid Irritating. "You know what? I think I'll pass on the movie. I'm going to be in the training room if anybody needs me."

_Focus. Aim…fire! _I tell myself as I'm practicing my archery, and hit the target right in the bullseye. I allow myself to smile a little. _Screw the movie. Nothing like a nice, quiet training session. _But as soon as my thought is over, my quiet time is interrupted by somebody walking toward me. I refuse to let whoever it is ruin the moment. I load my bow with another arrow, not even acknowledging the unknown intruder. "Don't you think it's a little rude to be doing this while the rest of your team is watching a movie?" The unmistakable voice asks.

"Here to interrogate me, _Speedy_?" I ask, still not turning around as I release another arrow.

"Actually, Green Arrow and Black Canary sent me here. They said that since I'm the best man and you're the maid of honor, that it would be better if we're not trying to rip each other's throats out whenever we're near each other." I put my bow down and raise my eyebrows at him. "Their words, not mine. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the _real _reason they sent me here is because Ollie wants me to ask you to be my date for the wedding." He says with a little laugh. I turn to look at him for the first time. He's in full uniform, bow in hand, so he was probably just out on patrol with Green Arrow. I pick my bow up again and shoot another arrow at the target.

"Sounds practical."

"So, you're not opposed? He says with a smirk. I narrow my eyes at him.

"Look, it's my uncle's wedding. Not mine. I'll do whatever he wants me to. Even if it means wearing a stupid bridesmaid's dress and being a decent person for a few hours…and even if it means having to slow dance with _you." _

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Are you seriously wondering why I think that?"

"Well, a little known fact about me is that I'm an _amazing _dancer." My eyes widen in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. But I thought you already knew that. Weren't you the one who was saying that I was so, _so predictable?" Okay…I kind of had that one coming._

"I'm pretty sure that even _Batman _couldn't have figured that out." It's just so hard to get my mind wrapped around that fact. _Roy Harper…_a _dancer? _It makes me want to burst out laughing.

"Well, I know a few moves." I look down and my eyes land on my bow. I feel a smirk playing on my lips.

"But do you know this move?" I ask, quickly loading one of my arrows and jumping into a back flip. In the split second that my eyes lock with the target, I release the arrow and it lands just a few inches from the bullseye.

"Sweetheart," He says, laughing as he loads his own bow. He mimics my exact movements, except he looks a little more graceful than I felt and his arrow lands right on the bullseye. "I _invented _that move." We stare at each other for a moment. He has a triumphant smirk on his face and I'm sure that an excited fire is burning in his eyes behind that mask.

_Challenge accepted. _

"Backwards." I say, facing away from the target and shooting backwards, nailing the target in the bullseye. We spend a long time after that showing off our archery skills. We do moves that Green Arrow taught us, make stuff up on the spot, and just try to outdo each other. And we do it all while yelling taunts such as 'I could do that while sleeping' and 'I could do better than you with one arm tied behind my back'.

"Alright," He says after a while. "You've proven to be an _okay _archer," I'm about to yell at him about how I'm _way _better than '_okay'_, but he cuts me off by saying, "But let's see how good you are at sparring."

"No bows?"

"Unless you don't think you can handle it."

_Once again. Challenge accepted. _

We get into fighting stances and stand there for a minute, both of us waiting for the other to make the first move. I'm about to rush at him, but Black Canary's voice pops up into my head. _'Never let your opponent dictate the terms of the fight!'. _It's a phrase that she uses constantly during training. So, instead of giving into my impatience, I wait for him to give into his.

_Strike one. _

The battle becomes heated as soon as we make physical contact. We throw a series of punches and kicks at each other, easily blocking most of the attacks, though getting some good hits in that will probably result in bruises tomorrow. After a while, we somehow end up in a position where one of my legs is hooked around his waist and my arms are around his neck. He smirks, his fingers playing with a loose strand of my hair. "Well, if you liked me like that, you should have just said something."

_Strike two. _

I lean in closer to him, and once our noses are almost touching, I suddenly draw my head back and bang my forehead against his with not enough force to severely injure him, but enough to disorient him. I untangle myself from him and kick the back of his knees while he's clutching his head in pain, causing him to lose his balance. But he's a quick thinker, breaking the fall with his hands and flipping back up into a fighting stance. The battle continues, and we're so lost in movement that we don't realize how far we've traveled until I have him backed up into a corner, trapping him by putting my hands on the wall on either side of his face. He contorts his facial features into mock anger. "Alright. Now you're just taking advantage of me."

_Strike thr—_

Before I can say anything, he has me pinned on the ground, and no matter how much I struggle, I can't get out of his grip. "But, unfortunately, if you were just in a battle with the Shadows instead of me, you'd be long dead." I feel like a wounded deer in a cage with a hungry lion. Trapped with no way out of his grip, being forced to stare at his face…and the look that he's giving me isn't exactly helping my situation. _Don't be weak. _

"That may be true for you, Mr. Solo-Act," I say, using all of my strength to come up with the cold tone that usually comes to me so effortlessly. "but if I _was _in a battle with the Shadows, one of my teammates would have come to my rescue." _Wally…_

"Point proven." He says, and I think that he's about to get off of me and walk away, but he just continues to straddle me.

"Um…Roy? Do you think you should, you know, get off of me?"

"Why? Do you find this intimidating?" I swallow a building lump in my throat.

"N-no." He leans closer to me.

"Good." He whispers in a low voice. I free my arms from his grip and have enough force to sit up, but his knees are still trapping me in a sitting position. And I can easily push him off of me, but for some reason I'm frozen in place and all I can do is stare into his…_mask. _

Curiosity gets the best of me as I cautiously lift my fingers up to his face, grabbing hold of his mask and slowly removing it. And once it's off, I suppress a gasp. I've only seen Roy's eyes one time before—the night of Ollie and Dinah's engagement. And even then, it was too dark to get a good look. But now I can see them perfectly. They're a dark blue, almost turquoise color and a fire of emotions that I can't even begin to decipher burn within them. Right now, all I can do is come to the conclusion that Roy Harper is the most attractive man alive.

I'm so lost in my gaze that I don't notice he's taking the elastic out of my hair until it falls around my shoulders in messy, tangled tresses. At this point, neither of us can take it anymore. I wrap my arms around his neck, falling back down into a laying position and taking him with me. All I can hear is our heavy breathing, and all I can think about is the fact that his touch sends shivers up my spine.

Good shivers.

I push my hands underneath his shirt, feeling his toned muscles as he runs his hands up and down the length of my arms. That's all we're doing—touching. But for right now, that's all we need. _All we can handle. _

_But what about Wally? _That annoying little voice in my head asks. Well, what about him? I don't care about him! And he doesn't care about me. So why does this feel so…wrong? Why do I feel like I should be with Wally right now instead of Roy?

"Well, it seems like you two have become…_cozy." _My eyes widen at the new voice and Roy and I pull apart from each other. I look up to see who the new person is, though I already know because I could recognize his voice in a crowd of one thousand people.

"Oh, uh…hey, Wally. How was the movie?"

"Entertaining. But it seems like you've found your _own _source of entertainment." I look down at myself and realize that I'm a mess. My clothes are wrinkled and my hair looks like something died in it. I stand up, smoothing down my shirt and pulling my hair back into its ponytail.

"I should really go." Roy says, already half way across the room. "It was nice, uh…_seeing _you, Artemis." He adds halfheartedly before he leaves. And now it's just me and Wally in the room, an awkward silence hanging between us.

"_So…_what movie did you end up watching?" I offer, trying to lift the awkwardness from the air.

"What are you doing?" He asks, crossing his arms.

"What?"

"You hate Roy. _Hate _him! And now all of the sudden you can't keep your claws off of him? Explain that!"

"Wally, we were _training!_" I yell.

"Training for what? Teen pregnancy?"

"Look, we were _sparring_. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. You just happened to walk in at a really weird time and…" Something clicks in my mind. "and I shouldn't have to be explaining this to you!" I all but yell, having to physically restrain myself from slapping him.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! You actually have the _audacity _to be angry at me? So what if it was more than a training session? Which it wasn't. But even if it was, it's none of your God damn business. You flirt with M'gann _constantly _while she has a freaking _boyfriend _and I don't get mad at you for that, so you have no right to intrude on _my _romantic life! You have no right to walk in and act like some sort of…some sort of _jealous boyfriend!" _

"And who said this was about you? I'm looking out for Red Arrow here. I don't want to see one of my oldest friends get hurt when his girlfriend betrays him to—"

"Oh, God! Not you, too! Believe what you want, but I'm not the mole…and Red Arrow is _not _my boyfriend!" And to think today was supposed to be a simple beach day!

"Look, I came in here because the weather finally cleared up and we're all going to go out to watch the sun set and then have a bonfire. Come if you want. Or don't. I honestly do not give a shit."

"Your opinion is much appreciated," I spit back with venom. "And lucky you, I'm heading home. My mom's going to be worried sick. But you better alert Batman, because the mole is on the loose!" It takes all of my strength to keep my cool and not stomp out of there like Godzilla.

"_Tropic Thunder." _He says before I leave. I turn around and look at him, confused.

"The hell are you talking about?"

"I'm answering your question. We watched _Tropic Thunder."_

* * *

_**What did you think? Review? Please? **  
_

_**And also, I have to ask...Team Wally or Team Roy? **_


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